Mathematician Donates Books to SACNAS Conference Attendees

For Dr. Steven Strogatz, the 2012 SACNAS Conference felt like coming home. “I was touched by so many things about the SACNAS conference,” said Strogatz, who was a featured keynote speaker at the national event, held October 3-6 in Seattle, Washington. “It felt like a family gathering; a place to reconnect with dear friends and former students and to meet so many new wonderful students and colleagues.”

A Donation from the Heart

Strogatz, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University was so moved by his experience at SACNAS that the renowned mathematician has arranged for his publisher, Houghton Mifflin, to donate eight cases (96 copies) of his latest book The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity to conference attendees who write in a request.

A highlight of the event for Strogatz was when, after his keynote address, he was honored with a blanket ceremony. “When the elder placed that Pendleton blanket on my shoulders, I was overwhelmed—even now I can't begin to find the words to express how moved I was. It's a moment I'll cherish forever.”

This donation, Strogatz feels, is a way to say thank you to SACNAS and “give something back, in some small way.”

An Opportunity for Conference Attendees

The week of December 10, all attendees of the 2012 SACNAS National Conference will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to request a book. The first 96 to respond will be the proud owners of what Scientific American describes as, “delightful narratives about lonely numbers and the Tony Soprano psyche of math itself—outwardly tough but inwardly wracked with insecurity. The easily digestible chapters include plenty of helpful examples and illustrations. You'll never forget the Pythagorean theorem again!”

“Thank you so much for inviting me into the circle,” Strogatz said. And to him, SACNAS replies, “Welcome home.”